Tale as Old as Time: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Remake

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle...

Recently, there have been announcements about Disney releasing a live-action Beauty and the Beast! While the movie won't come out until 2017, we can still delight in the prospect of such an endeavor being underway.

Ma chere Mademoiselle (or Monsieur), it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I welcome you tonight (or today). And now I invite you to relax, let me pull up a chair as the Fangirl Initiative proudly presents--all the latest details on this exciting up-coming project!

The Cast:

While the entire cast hasn't been announced, the biggest roles now have faces and let me tell you, it's something that wasn't there before...

As the above picture shows, Emma Watson has been cast as Belle. I have been a long time fan of Beauty and the Beast and have watched it countless times with my sister (it's her favorite). We both think Emma will portray a wonderful Belle. She's gorgeous, down-to-earth, and strong-willed, all qualities Belle possesses. She also was born in Paris. In addition, her role as Hermione makes for the perfect parallel to book-loving Belle. It couldn't be more perfect, right?

The Beast, or Prince Adam if you prefer, is being portrayed by Dan Stevens. Hailing from England, this bright-eyed monsieur has recently appeared in more well-known roles, such as Downtown Abbey and Night at the Museum. However, we can't forget his role as the charming, down-to-earth Edward Ferras in the 2008 BBC Sense and Sensibility (*sigh*). While the role as Beast might be little bit on the gruff side, I think Dan Stevens will be a fine fit for a portrayal. Recent pictures show he can pull off a little hair.

However, we can't forget the other somewhat-charming man, Gaston himself. Luke Evans is set to play the handsome, conceited villain. And let me tell you: I'm psyched. You've probably seen Luke Evans in The Hobbit Trilogy as Bard the Bowman and possibly even as Vlad in Dracular Untold. Both of these roles make me think he can pull off both handsome and strong "hero" and "villain." He's had his fair share of playing warrior characters as he's appeared in Robin Hood, Clash of the Titans, Immortals, and The Three Musketeers. Can he pull of Gaston? My opinion: yes, yes he can (although I might end up rooting for the villain ???)

Speaking of Gaston, we cannot forget his adorkable (maybe?) sidekick, Le Fou. And nobody would be better to play such a comical character than Josh Gad. Yes, that's right folks Frozen's very own Olaf is going to play the goofy character. I find this casting choice to be absolutely perfect. Josh Gad has the perfect voice to play the part (Need a refresher on Le Fou in the animated? Listen to Gaston's song. I hear Olaf in Le Fou). He's just going to be perfect.

In addition to these cast members, Mrs. Potts and Maurice (Belle's father) have been cast. We have the lovely Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts. What a gem! She'll do wonderful as Mrs Potts. And Kevin Kline is cast to portray the crazy old Maurice. I'm not as familiar with him, but I think he looks like he could pull of the lovable, somewhat odd father for Emma Watson.

Clearly this isn't the whole cast or every detail of the movie, so I'm excited to hear about more updates soon!

The Music:

Now the cast members aren't the only exciting things happening for the movie. But they've announced that the talented and glorious Alan Menken has been hired to do the music. *flops on the ground* If you don't know who Alan Menken is, listen up! This man has been the music writer, composer, producer, and/or arranger for many of the best Disney soundtracks and scores. He's been involved with the original Beauty and the Beast score, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Tangled. *cries* Did I mention he's won four Oscars for music and been nominated for many others (among other awards)? This movie is going to look gorgeous and sound gorgeous.

And that's not everything. Sources say this isn't just going to be a live-action remake. No, it's going to be a live-action, musical. Yes, that's right. Not only will we have beautiful music and wonderful actors, but we'll hear these said actors singing. Emma Watson singing. Dan Stevens singing. Luke Evans... singing.

Could this remake get any better?

Disney has also reported they plan to use some new awesomesuace, 3D CGI technology to create the film; so basically the magic of Beauty and the Beast will feel all the more closer to our (fangirl) hearts.

I'd say this is one film that will definitely bring the Tale as Old as Time into a new, fresh light. Unfortunately, we have to wait until 2017 to watch this film, but until then you can watch the live-action Cinderella (just released last weekend) and next year, we're getting a live-action Jungle Book with another fantastic cast!

What do you think? Is this cast perfect or do you have someone else better in mind? And what of the other characters that have yet to be cast, any fancasts on who should play them (i.e. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip, etc.)?